One Word Changed My Life
by moni clemmens
Summary: It's been said that as much as the choices we make, the people we surround ourselves with determine who we become. What if Karen had granted Dan joint custody?
1. Chapter 1

It's been said that as much as the choices we make, the people we surround ourselves with determine who we become. The truth of this statement is evident in the following story.

Prologue:

_Karen Roe was exhausted. After working 11 hours at her three year old café, with her 4 year old son in tow, all she wanted to do was sleep. And stay asleep until __**she**__ was ready to wake up. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. She had dishes to wash, laundry to fold, and toys to pick up. As she carried the laundry basket to the couch, her foot slipped on something wet._

_-"Crap"_

_As her bottom hit the hard floor, the clothes went flying. Tears of frustration formed in her eyes, as she realized the roof was leaking and her clean clothes had just landed in the not so clean puddle. Her landlord was lazy at best, and she knew that the roof would not be fixed anytime soon. _

_The knock on the door forced her to stand up. Hopefully, it was Keith. She could really use a friendly face after the day she had. However, it was not Keith whose face she saw at the door. In less than a second, the smile was replaced with a face full of anger. Dan Scott, stood dripping in the doorway. It was obvious he had been outside for a while, gathering his courage. _

_-"Get out!"_

_-"Karen, you haven't returned my calls. We need to talk." _

_-"Maybe, you should get the hint. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want you in my life. I don't want you in Lucas's life."_

_-"But he's my son. I have a right to be in his life."_

_In that moment, all the emotions that Karen had been bottling up exploded. The exhaustion, the frustration, the fear hit Karen all at once. _

_-"Dan, you lost that right when you left me for basketball. You lost it __**again**__ when you hooked up with Deb, less than 3 months after I told you I was pregnant. And you lost it a third time, when you moved here with your new wife, in that big house, ignoring our existence, while I wasn't even sure if I could pay the next month's rent." Her volume increased with each sentence she screamed._

_-"Karen, I'm trying now. Doesn't that mean anything? I want to help take care of Lucas. I want to pay child support. Let me in."_

_Karen stared at Dan, her eyes full of doubt. What game was he playing? She would not let him ruin his life, not again. _

"_Get out! I will call the police."_

_Before Dan could respond, the pitter pater of little feet showed a little boy in Thomas the Train pajamas. Karen looked at her son, a warm smile returning to her face._

_-"Hey buddy. What are you doing out of bed? It's way past your bed time."_

_Lucas looked at his mother, fear and curiosity in his eyes before responding. "Momma, are you okay? I heard yelling."_

"_Luke, it's ok. I was just visiting with….an old friend. Let's get you back in bed. Dan, you can let yourself out."_

_While Karen helped Lucas get back in bed, Dan ignored Karen's invitation to leave by taking a seat on her couch. He took in the small puddle of water on the floor, the laundry that was helping to soak it up, and the furniture that was third hand at best. The feeling of guilt intensified in his stomach. How could he have let his oldest son live in such conditions, while his youngest lived in a house that had a room of toys?_

_Five minutes later, Karen returned to her living room to clean up the mess that was made, just before Dan had tried to walk back into her life. Her eyes narrowed when she saw that Dan was making himself at home instead of letting himself out. She addressed Dan in a rough whisper._

_-"I told you to get out. We don't need you."_

_-"Karen, look around. You need help. I can give it to you."_

__"Dan, you have NO right to comment on our life. Feel free to leave. I'll tell you what; feel free to stop by in another five years."_

_Dan wanted to yell back, but knew that Lucas was in the next room. That knowledge made him take a deep breath, allowing him to think rationally before responding._

_-"Karen, I need you to think this through for a moment. We both live in Tree Hill. It is a small town, were people talk about everybody's business. How do you think Lucas is going to feel, with his brother in the same grade, but having nothing to do with him? With a father who doesn't even know his favorite color? I know that I have messed up, but I am trying to fix it. Let me. Let's fix this before while there is still time. Don't let Luke suffer for my stupidity."_

_Karen had never thought of the long term repercussions of Lucas growing up in Tree Hill after Dan moved back. However, she was not ready to trust him._

_-"Dan, you have made some decent points. However, our parenting styles are too different. It would be too confusing to have Lucas floating between the two lifestyles. I know you want joint custody, and are willing to pay child support, but I don't think that it is his best interest. He is my priority."_

_-"Karen, let's talk about it. We can talk out issues and compromise. However, I need to be part of his life. Can you agree to this…please?"_

_Karen paused for a moment. She looked into his eyes, trying to ascertain Dan's intentions. Whether it was Dan's explanation behind his desires, or the pure exhaustion she felt, she couldn't say. But after a short moment, she took a breath and responded quietly._

_-"Yes."_

12 Years Later

-"Nate, hurry-up. I'm leaving in 5 minutes, whether or not you are in the car."

After yelling at his brother, Luke grabbed his backpack and his duffle bag and walked out to his car, giving his dad a quick good-bye. It was Friday. Every Friday, he left from one parent's house, and returned home to the others. This had been happening, ever since he was 4. For a while it seemed disruptive, but after all the years it was second nature.

Exactly 4 minutes and 58 seconds later, Nathan Scott came running out the house, a piece of toast hanging from his mouth and his shoes untied. As he buckled up, he turned to his brother, ready to list his complaints.

-"Dude, couldn't you wait another 5 minutes? We're going to be twenty minutes early as it is. It's not like you have a girlfriend to meet up with or anything."

Lucas gave his brother a look before responding in his patented sarcastic manner.

-"Dude, did you ever hear of the school bus? Or, you could actually make it home before curfew and Dad would give you back your keys. Feel free to jump out of the car at any time."

Nathan didn't even bother to respond. Lucas and Nathan's relationship had become strained over the past year or so. According to their dad, Nathan had hit a "rebellious" face over this time. Dan blamed it on basketball. Nathan made the varsity team his freshmen year, and became a starter his sophomore year. This had introduced him to a "wilder" crowd than Luke had fallen into, as Luke had quit basketball just before their freshman year. At first, Dan had encouraged Lucas to pick up the sport again, but after seeing the trouble that Nathan had gotten into, he let the subject drop. Luke told his parents that he "just didn't like basketball" anymore. Nathan knew better. He knew that Luke spent most of his afternoons playing on the river court. Truthfully, he couldn't figure out why his brother didn't try out for the team, but he was grateful. He needed his own thing.

After Nathan made the basketball team, he and Luke took separate paths, and had separate friends. Nathan hung out with the jocks and cheerleads. Luke hung out with the river court gang. Unfortunately, being in the same grade created a sense of competition between the two, especially, since there were constant comparisons from teachers, peers, and parents. Luke was smart; mostly As. Nathan struggled to get Cs. Luke was respectful and never missed curfew. Nathan had been grounded more than once for each of those offensives. Nathan felt that the only thing he had going for him was basketball.

However, the main difference between the two was their living situation. Lucas lived one week with his father and the next with his mother. Nathan lived full time with his father. His mother, Deb, had left them for another man when he was 12. Deb had not been back to Tree Hill since. Nathan felt lucky if he got a birthday card.

After Luke parked the car, Nathan mumbled a quick, "See ya later" to his brother, before trying to find his girlfriend, Peyton Sawyer. Luke took his time, gathering his books before heading to the library to do some last minute studying with his best friend, Hailey James.

Luke felt very confident that he had aced his history exam, he gave the test to his teacher, over 15 minutes before the class was supposed to end. He reached for Julius Caesar, his newest read, when he noticed his brother, who was obviously struggling. History was the one of two classes they had together this semester. He had offered to study with Nathan last night, but he had opted to go out with friends instead.

When Nathan came home, 15 minutes late, their dad had given him a hard time. Dan was not only upset that he missed curfew, but that he obviously wasn't studying when Lucas was. Midterms had come out the week before, and Nathan had been lectured extensively. After a smart remark, about not being "Daddy's golden boy" Dan had had enough. Between being late and Nathan's "attitude" he was grounded for a week; no car, no phone, no friends. It didn't help that basketball didn't start for another week, so Nathan didn't even have basketball practice to get him out of the house.

After the bell rang, Luke approached Nathan, something that did not happen in school.

-"Hey Nate, how did it go?"

-"Dude, why do you care? You want to go tell Daddy so you can try and be the favorite."

Luke looked at Nathan, confused at what was happening. "Nathan, you know it's not like that. What is wrong with you today?"

Nate tried to bring his voice down to a whisper, as he noticed people staring. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You suck at basketball, but you need daddy's attention so you try to point out how much better you are at everything else. Well stop it. Nobody cares about your straight As. Just shut up!"

Something snapped inside of Luke. He was tired of constantly attempting to help his brother and being shut down. He was also tired of being reminded that he wasn't on the basketball team. In a matter of seconds, Luke's response flew out of his mouth, surprising himself.

"You know what Nate! I am tired of your idiocy, which can't seem to squelch that big head of yours. You know what, I am going to try out for basketball, and you better pray that I don't go for your position. I'll see you Friday, at try-outs. And then, I'll see you Monday, at practice."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **A few people of asked me about pairings. All I can say, is it is going to be a rough ride for our Tree Hill Teens. You'll have to find out when they do. Also, I appreciate the reviews. This is my first fanfic, and I would love to learn what is working, and what I can do to make it better.

Chapter 2

Lucas Scott paused before getting out of his car and heading into Keith's Auto Body Shop, where he worked after school a few days per week. It was impressive how calm and sunny it looked outside, when he felt so tumultuous on the inside.

His outburst today at school wasn't completely unexpected, well not to him. Luke had been thinking about joining the Ravens since this summer, and had increased the amount of time he spent on the River Court, just in case. Until today, he had been worried about what Nathan thought. Not anymore. That was the only part of the conversation that surprised him.

Luke was a little nervous about telling his parents. His dad would be torn between pride that Luke was following in his footsteps and fear that Luke would repeat Dan's mistakes. Luke could already hear the preemptive, "It's about being on a team" lecture he would likely receive. He would probably also hear a,"Don't be stupid-avoid peer pressure" lecture.

Karen on the other hand, was a wild card. He doubted that she would be upset, but she had seemed very relieved when he quit basketball before his freshman year. If she was really against it, he supposed that he could make the team, rub in Nate's face, and then quit. Sighing, Luke decided he would practice by telling Keith first.

Keith Scott had always been in Luke's life. When he was really small, it was him, Karen, and Keith. Luke didn't really remember this time, but he had heard a few stories. When his dad moved back into town, and entered the picture Keith stayed in his life. When Luke turned 16, he started working at the auto shop two to three nights a week. Keith continued to be at all the big events in Luke and Nathan's lives and was Karen's Café's most loyal customer. Until recently, that is. Apparently, Dan had finally admitted that he couldn't cook and had taken to eating dinner at the café at least three nights a week, more when Luke was staying with his mom.

Luke put aside his thoughts as he prepared himself for an afternoon in the shop. As he walked toward the list of projects, he noticed that Keith was talking to a customer about the state of her car. After looking at the lists of projects, Luke popped the hood of the nearest car and got to work.

Ten minutes later, Keith came over, noting the work that had been done. He smiled at Luke, before opening his mouth.

-"How's it going, nephew?"

They chatted about the car Luke was working on for a few minutes and then Keith grabbed a wrench and started working alongside of Luke. They worked in relative quiet, until Keith broke the silence.

-"You're awfully quiet today."

Luke paused for a moment, deciding if he really wanted to go through with trying-out for the Ravens. Although he talked big in front of Nathan, he felt that announcing his plans to any of the "grown-ups" made it more official. Luke looked into Keith's eyes and responded.

-"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you something. I'm going to need next Friday off…and maybe a few after that….ummm….I'm actually trying out for the Ravens this year."

A smile lit up Keith's face.

-"Luke, that's great! Do you need any help with last minute training? I know I am not Dan Scott, but I can show you what not to do."

The younger Scott laughed at the comment before responding, "I think I'll be alright. Dad spent most of my childhood teaching me 'proper' technique and I've been practicing with the guys at the River Court."

Just then, the phone rang. Keith wiped off his hands off on his jumpsuit and grabbed the phone.

-"Keith's Auto Shop, Keith speaking."

Luke didn't pay attention to the phone call, until he realized his dad was on the line. Then, as he finished up tightening the bolts on the car, he felt ok about listening in.

-"Hey Danny Boy…we'll we were about ready to close up, but I suppose we can take one more run. Where is she at?...I'll send Luke….Wait,, what exactly, did Whitey say?...That doesn't sound right….He didn't tell me that part of it….he just said he was doing it, not the why?…It doesn't sound like him….Do you want me to ask him?...That sounds best…..Well I was planning having dinner at Karen's tonight….See you there"

Luke wasn't sure what the conversation was about, but he had some ideas and he didn't like them. Praying that conversation was about Nathan, and not about him, he slowly turned to his uncle, who looked at him like everything was normal.

-"Apparently Peyton's car broke down and she is stranded. I know you're ready to go, but can you take the tow truck out for a quick run and bring her car here?"

-'Sure, no problem." Luke responded slowly, waiting for some comment on the rest of the conversation he had overheard. Instead, Keith went on to explain more about Peyton.

-"Apparently, she called and asked Nate to pick her up, but your dad won't let him 'linger with his girlfriend' or some other nonsense, so Dan volunteered you to drive her home."

-"I can do that. Is there anything else that I should know about?"

-"No, just go get the girl and bring her home. I think everyone is having dinner at your mom's café after. It sounds like the warden might even let your brother come."

Luke gave a small smile, mostly thinking about how he could use a night away from Nathan. It wasn't that he didn't like his brother, but after the blow-up at school, it might be nice to have a night to cool off before he saw him again.

Nathan Scott normally loved Friday nights. His curfew was 12:30 am, not 10 pm. He didn't have any homework due the next day. And things normally happened in Tree Hill on Fridays. However, on those Friday nights that he was stuck at home, they were the worst nights of the week.

Peyton had dropped Nathan off after school, and then was going out to do who knows what. As he walked into the house, he realized that he probably should have asked Peyton what her plans were for the weekend, but he also knew that a few months ago, she would have offered. It seemed that everything in his life was off kilter.

After grabbing a quick bowl of cereal, Nathan decided that he could use the time of his incarceration to fine tune his basketball skills with the hoop in his driveway. Shooting hoops was how he had always found his solace. And, try-outs for the team were exactly 7 days away. Nathan knew that he was a shoe-in. After two years of being on varsity, he mostly showed up to the try-outs to show the wannabes what was expected. In fact, if it wasn't for Luke, try-out would be a lot of fun.

A part of him wondered if Luke was kidding about joining the Ravens. He felt fairly confident that his brother wouldn't go out for his position, since Luke had never been a small forward. However, he wasn't so confident that his brother wouldn't make the team. As kids, they had spent hours playing basketball. He knew Luke was good. He had seen his brother playing one on one with Skills recently, and he had looked even better. With his luck, Luke would be a starter by the time the Ravens played their first game.

Putting his thoughts aside, Nathan practiced free throws, lay-ups, and slam dunks. His brain started to clear. For a brief moment he forgot about his dropping grades, his distant relationship with his girlfriend, and the problems with his brother. He almost managed to forget about the season starting in a week, when he realized his dad had made it home.

-"Looking good, just watch the arc on those free throws."

Nathan gave a quick, "Thanks" and then followed his dad into the house. As they walked in together, they started talking about what the new season was going to be like.

Basketball was more than a game to both of them. While Dan was trying really hard to avoid becoming like his father, Royal, the game still had an possessive hold on him. Nathan seemed to have inherited this as well. On the plus side, it gave them something to bond over. On the negative side, basketball occasionally seemed to rule their house, despite Dan trying to constantly push it to the back burner.

As their conversation on the upcoming season came to an end, with absolutely no mention of Lucas Scott, Dan changed the subject.

-"Nathan, how do you feel about dinner at Karen's?"

Instantly, Nathan became suspicious, but figured that whatever was on his dad's mind would come out either way, and he might as well get a decent dinner out of it.

-"Sure. Let me go change, and I can meet you in the car."

Five minutes later, Nathan was sitting shot-gun, next to his father. As Dan started up the car, he looked at Nathan.

-"Whitey came to see me at the dealership today."

-"Are you going to give him an extra good deal on a car to make up for the state championships?" Nathan smirked as he said this. His father had repeatedly told both his sons about sitting out in the final quarter, and how he regretted it. He knew it was one of the few points that could make his father feel guilty, and occasionally back down from a rant. Unfortunately for Nathan, this comment had the opposite effect. He could see his father clenching his jaw, a sure sign that he was trying to reign in his temper. After a few seconds, Dan responded, it a mostly calm voice.

-"Actually, he came to see me about a rumor he heard around school today. Apparently, you ticked off Lucas at school today, and now he is going to try and take your spot on the team?

That was the last thing that Nathan had expected to hear. He was expecting something about his attitude, or grades slipping close to ineligibility. In fact, Nathan was so shocked, he couldn't even think of a response.

-"Well, is there any truth to this?"

Nathan looked out the window, before muttering, "Why don't you ask Luke?"

Dan waited for a moment before responding, "You'll both be at the café tonight, and I will ask Lucas. You sure you don't' want to share your side before we make this a family discussion?"

Nathan just shook his head and looked out the window as they drove up to the café.

While driving Keith's tow truck up to the car, Luke noticed how Peyton's swayed her head along with whatever music she was listening to on Mp3 player. He had no idea how his brother got a girl like her. Luke didn't run around with their crowd, but from what he could tell Peyton was smart, independent, and had a unique view of the world. He couldn't figure out how his brother-the jock-had ended up with her. However, he was surprised that she was a cheerleader, so what did he know?

As he got out of the truck, Peyton noticed that Luke had arrived and took out the headphones. She opened the door and got out to speak to Luke.

-"Thanks for picking me up. When your dad took the phone from Nathan, I thought he was going to tell me to enjoy my walk home."

Luke smirked before stating, "I think he thought about it, but he figures you're the only that can put up with Nate for more than ten minutes, and ever so often, he wants a break."

Peyton laughed before stating, "I think the 'putting up with Nathan' might be what makes your dad hate me."

This time Luke laughed before responding, "He doesn't hate you. He does like rules and supervision, which Nate seems to have problem with around you. But you, he doesn't hate. Like I said, he is probably just happy that someone is willing to spend time with my brother."

They both laughed awkwardly, before an uncomfortable silence set it. Hoping to break the silence, Luke looked around for any idea of a change in subject. Then he noticed her fallout boy shirt.

-"You like Fallout Boy? I heard their new album that just came out is great."

Peyton's eyes filled with her passion for music as she turned to her boyfriend's brother, "It is! I just got it and its great! I also got the Cure's new album. Do you like the Cure?"

It was a little lie, but for some reason Luke felt ok about it. "I love them. Is their new album as good as their last?"

Luke listened intently as Peyton discussed one of her life's passions, music. While he didn't love the Cure, he could understand the way that words could affect someone's soul. He felt the same way about literature. The subject continued as Luke attached the car to the tow truck and drove the Keith's shop. After getting Peyton's car situated, Luke opened the door to his car for Peyton, driving her home. When they reached her house, still talking about music, Peyton invited Luke to see her music collection. Neither of them thought twice about the appropriateness of this offer. Luke didn't even notice that his cell phone slipped out of his pocket as he got out of his car.

Nathan had been sitting at the café with his dad for an hour, waiting for Luke. The evening had started off very awkward. Within five minutes of entering the café, Dan and Karen had gone in the back to have a short discussion. After they came back, you could feel the increased tension in the air. A few minutes later, Keith showed up, stating that Luke should be here within 15 minutes. After an hour and ten phone calls later, there was still no sign of Luke. Dan declared that they should go ahead and order.

Since the dinner rush was over, Haley and Karen sat down to join them. It was obvious that both Karen and Dan were annoyed with Luke. They both enforced a strict, call and let us know where you are policy-which Luke had obviously broken. Feeling the tension, Keith excused himself after eating his meal in record time. Despite the tension in the room, Nathan had a good time eating his dinner, mostly due to Haley. Haley had an amazing ability to lighten the mood with stories of her clumsiness. This surprised Nathan. He had never spent much time with Haley, but she had always come off as a boring bookworm. Today, he found her endearing and easy to talk to.

Luke entered the café, as Haley was in the middle of her recounting a hilarious tale that involved her, a clown, and soda spilt all over the both of them. Any of the tension that had left the dissipated returned in full force. However, Luke was ahead of the game. Before any parent could say anything, Luke opened his mouth.

-"Mom, dad, I'm so sorry I didn't call. My phone fell out of my pocket, and helping Peyton took longer than expected."

Karen looked appeased, but Dan had a few more questions.

-"Two hours longer than expected? You spent two extra hours on the road and didn't call Keith for back up?

-"Well, it took a little longer than expected, but then she wanted to show me something in her house real quick. Her dad's not around and she just needed someone to talk to. I thought it would be quick.."

This got Nathan's attention. Before Dan could further question Luke, Nathan butted in.

-"What did she need to talk to you about?"

Everyone felt the tension in this moment. Haley excused herself to wash their dishes, while Karen and Dan looked between the two brothers. Luke didn't know what to say. In this moment, he realized that it looked very suspicious for him to hang out with his brother's girlfriend, in her bedroom. So, he decided to stretch the truth a little.

-"To be honest, she was feeling really lonely tonight. She misses her dad a lot, and of course, Nate can't be with her right now, since he is grounded. I think her friends are all out tonight too. Mom, I'm really sorry. I should have called you. I thought it was going to be really quick, but she started going, and…I didn't know how to leave. I promise it will never happen again."

Both Karen and Dan seemed appeased by this statement. Together they gave a brief, 30 second, lecture on the purpose of checking in, before changing the subject. When Haley came through to say good-bye, everyone felt better. Everybody but Nathan that is.

It was at this moment, when Dan brought up his conversation with Whitey. However, Luke being good with words had a pretty quick response.

-"Dad, you know how rumors are. Nate and I did discuss me playing for the Ravens, but I'm not trying out for his position. I'm going for shooting guard, just like I did in middle school. What exactly did you think was said?"

Dan murmured something back and then everything seemed fine. Karen was a little hesitant, but Dan's enthusiasm was contagious. Pretty soon, Karen was even excited to join the boosters.

At the end of the evening, everyone felt an euphoria from the release of the tension. Everyone but Nathan that was. Inside of him, a volcano of uncertainty was brewing.


	3. Chapter 3

Nathan had never been so excited for Monday. In general, a weekend at home sucked. However, a weekend at home, after knowing that your brother and your girlfriend had been hanging out, even for just one evening, was grueling. He had tried to distract himself by practicing basketball, but playing in your driveway got old, quick. Eventually, he had resorted to studying to help deal with his cabin fever; at least his dad was happy about that.

He had always that thought that you could judge the upcoming week by Monday. As of 7:45, his morning was setting the perfect tone for the week. He had a nice breakfast with his dad, who drove him to school, since he had taken away Nathan's keys. The ride was much better than the bus ride he had been anticipating.

Once in the car, Nathan noticed that his dad kept glancing at him. The on and off look made him nervous, and finally he spoke up.

-"Do I have something on my face?"

Dan smiled for a moment before responding.

-"No. I was just thinking about how proud I am of you."

-"Are you sure you're talking to the right son?" Nathan laughed while making this comment. However, the laughter didn't quite cover-up the insecurities in the question.

-"Nathan, look at me. I am proud of **you**. This weekend I was especially proud of the maturity you showed. You didn't complain once about being grounded. You used your time effetely, paying attention to your studies. In fact, consider yourself ungrounded."

Nathan stared at his dad, shocked. His dad had never, not once in his entire childhood, backed off of a punishment.

-"For real? We're not on candid camera or something?"

Dan chuckled, "For real." Then his face got serious. Nathan could feel a final lecture coming on, even before his dad stared in. "But Nathan, curfew is still 10:00 on weeknights and 12:00 on weekends. I need to know where you are at all times, and if something changes, call. Finally in our household, we use respectful words when talking to each other. A repeat of Thursday night will not result in any hope of a reduction of sentence."

Nathan nodded, promising to do better while thinking that upcoming week might be ok. It's amazing how a few hours can change your perspective.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT HOTHOTHOTH

Lucas parked his car in front of Haley's house. She was already waiting for him on her front steps, so he didn't have to wait long. Before she even closed the door, she was off, speaking a mile per minute as Lucas pulled back onto the road and headed for the school.

-"So, how about that dinner Friday night, huh? Did your dad blow a gasket?"

-"No, It wasn't bad. You should have stuck around."

-"Well, I did stick around for like two hours….Where were you anyways?"

-"My dad made me pick up Peyton. She was stranded on the side of the road, and Nate's grounded. We have similar taste in music, so she wanted to show me a few of her new albums as a thank you."

-"Does your brother know you were hanging out with his girlfriend?"

After a short awkward silence, Lucas responded.

-"It wasn't a big deal. She just let me listen to a few songs. Plus, she was a little lonely, you know with her dad gone and Nate not being around. I'm sure that Nate is glad that I was able to help her out."

Haley wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself or her. For a second she thought about calling him out, but then thought against it. Instead, she changed the subject.

"What did your brother do to get grounded?"

-"He just missed curfew and mouthed off to my dad. Dad was already on edge though, since mid-term grades had just come out."

They got to the school at the same time as Peyton Sawyer. Prior to last week, there would have been no sign that Peyton knew either of them. But today, Lucas sped up to catch up with her.

-"Hey, thanks again for letting me listen to those new albums. I can't believe that I hadn't listened to the Fallout Boy's album yet."

-"No worries. Thanks for picking me up on the side of the road. I think I'd still be walking if it wasn't for you."

Lucas gave a slight chuck which Peyton seemed to find contagious. A small smile formed on her lips. Lucas thought that he had never seen anything more beautiful. A feeling of guilt started to form in his stomach, but he pushed it down. After all, he was just looking out for a …friend. Looking into her eyes, he had the desire to prolong the conversation, as they walked through the quad. He didn't even realize that he had left Haley five feet behind him.

-"Well, we do need you rested for cheerleading. You are trying out again, right?"

-"It's not really trying out after you've already been on the team, but yes, I will be cheering for the Ravens. Speaking of, what is this I hear about you trying out? Nathan wasn't very open about it on Friday."

Brining in Nathan's name slightly changed the mood of the conversation. Then Lucas remembered, he was just talking to a friend and there was nothing wrong with that. With that mindset, he continued the conversation.

-"Well, I just figured it's time for me to start living up the Scott family name. "

-"Really? 'Cause the way that I heard it, you and him were shouting in the halls about taking his position."

-"Yeah, well you know how rumors spread in Tree Hill. I wouldn't believe everything that you hear, if I were you." Then, he provided his famous Scott smirk.

Before Peyton could respond, the warning bell for homeroom went off. Since homerooms were done in order of last name, Scott and Sawyer were in the same room. Seeing this as a great chance to change the subject, Lucas offered to walk Peyton to class. As they walked in, neither of them noticed the look on Nathan's face.

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHTOHTOHTO HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

The clock had been stuck at 2:45 for hours. Nathan wondered if Mr. Kelly, his English teacher, had taken out the batteries as a cruel prank. English was the last class of the day, and he just wanted to go home.

It had been a tough day. He could hear people talking about basketball try-outs, and what was going to happen between Luke and himself. In class, he felt a reprieve from the gossip, but thought of Lucas walking Peyton to class kept gnawing at his subconscious. Conversation seemed to flow easily between the two of them. Much like when he first started dating her. On top of that, Luke seemed to have caught Brooke Davis's attention. In study hall Brooke bombarded him with questions about his brother. Did he like cheerleaders? Had he dated much? Did he look hot in a basketball uniform? Did Nathan think he would make the team?

To top off a perfect day, he got his history and math test back. The only positive, was that the F in math made the D+ in history look great. Nathan knew he had to get his grades up. If he didn't, the only Scott that had a chance at playing basketball this year was Lucas. Actually, if his dad got wind of his grades, there may only be one teenage Scott left living in Tree Hill.

After an eternity, the bell rang. Mr. Kelly said something about them wrapping up this unit and moving onto Ernest Hemingway, but Nathan didn't care. He just wanted to get out. He bolted out the door, at this same time as his brother. English was the only class, besides history, that they shared this semester. They didn't talk, as they made their way to their lockers, which were next to each other. As Lucas closed his locker, he glanced at Nate.

-"Do you need a ride?"

-"No, I'm actually, going to go find Peyton, my girlfriend." The last two words were exaggerated. Leaving before Lucas could respond, Nathan found his way to Peyton's car.

Peyton made her way over five minutes later. She smiled before posing her question.

-"You want to hang out until your dad gets off work?"

Normally, he loved Peyton's quiet rebellious streak. She didn't know that his dad had ungrounded him. However, in the moment, he realized that he didn't want to hang out with her. With that troubling realization, he responded to her.

-"Peyton, I think we need to talk."

With six words, a potentially flirty conversation became as tense as the cold war. Nathan noticed the apprehension in Peyton's eyes before he started. His tone was steady.

-"What's happening between you and Lucas?"

Nathan could see the different emotions run across Peyton's face, guilt, fear, anger, confusion. The five seconds before she answered felt like a lifetime.

-"Nathan, nothing is going on. He just came over my house to listen to the new Fallout Boy and Cure albums. He's your brother, I'm your girlfriend. We're just friends, who like the same music."

Before Nathan could think, words were leaving his mouth; the volume increasing. Anger penetrated each word.

-"Really? Did you know that Luke hates the Cure? Try again."

He could see the confusion in her eyes. They probably did just listen to music, but he was tired of the uncertainty he felt around her. He was tired of coming in second. Stopping Peyton before she could respond, he changed his tone to a calmer, more exhausted one.

-"Peyton, where do you see us in five years?"

-"What?"

It was clear that Peyton was confused. How did they get from talking about sneaking around for a few hours to their life after high school?

Nathan looked over her shoulder, staring at nothing before meeting her eyes. He spoke slower this time.

-"Peyton, where to you see us, you and me, in five years?"

-"Nathan, we're in high school. Nobody knows where they will be in five years."

-"I know that, but when you think about your future, do you ever think that I might be in it?"

Peyton was unsure what to say. She gaped at him, unable to get any complete words out. Nathan tried rephrasing the question.

-"How do you feel about us, as a couple?"

-"Nathan, I like you. We've had some really great moments. If this is about your brother, I won't talk to him. We are just friends." The last sentence was said slowly and exaggerated.

The frustration building inside him caused Nathan's volume to increase.

-"Peyton, forget about Luke! I want to know if you think **we** have a future together. Shoot, I just want to know if you feel that you can trust me with your dreams and your feelings. Because, I don't think you even talk to me anymore."

-"….Nathan, we do talk…But…"

Nathan verbalized the words that Peyton couldn't seem to find.

-"We talk, but not about anything important. And that's how it starts Peyton. My mom stopped talking to my dad. Now she is who-knows-where with Randy or Bob or whatever his name is. I don't want to end up like that."

He could see her processing the information. Then, she slowly responded.

-"Are you breaking up with me?"

Nathan paused.

-"Peyton, if you think that there is even a one in a million shot that we could have a future, we should keep at it; try harder. But, if not, let's quit while we can still be friends."

It seemed as if the world started to stand still. Nathan could feel the air leaving his lungs, but couldn't seem to breath it back in. Cars speed past them out of the parking lot, but all he could focus on was Peyton's face as she answered.

-"You're right; I think we should see other people. "


	4. Chapter 4

Nathan stood in the parking lot, watching Peyton drive off. After a moment, he realized he should probably go somewhere, but he didn't know where. Then he realized he didn't care. Embracing the emptiness that he felt, he let his feet make the decisions. Right, left, right, left. Eventually, he ended up at Karen's Café. As he reached the door, he realized that he had never been there without his dad or brother. When this realization hit him, he decided to turn away. That is when Karen noticed him.

Catching his eye, Karen walked to the main entrance and opened the door. Now he was trapped. Failing to think of an excuse, he smiled sheepishly as she looked at him.

-"You going to stay out here all day? Come on in."

Nathan walked in slowly. The café was mostly empty. Haley was working, preparing for the evening rush. As the feeling of awkwardness increased, he turned to Karen, making an excuse for being there.

-"Is Luke around? I just wanted to stop and say hey."

Karen smiled. She glanced at Haley with a knowing look before answering his question.

-"No. He's at Keith's working. Like every Monday. I'll tell you what. How about I get you a soda on the house and you can work on homework, or relax for a while? Keith said it was a slow day, so Lucas shouldn't be too long."

Nathan agreed, mostly because he didn't know what else to do. His relationship with Karen was complex. Because she was Luke's mother, she had been at most of the important moments in his life. Heck, they had "family dinner" together most days of the week. However, there was no binding relationship between the two of them despite his suspicions that his dad consulted her on his parenting style.

After a moment, he realized that Karen was watching him. She had the look. The look of a concerned parent, trying to decide if she should pry. For a second, he wanted to ask, "You know I'm not Lucas, right?" but the thought of his dad's face when he heard that comment stopped him.

Karen brought over a glass of Sunkist Orange, Nathan's favorite, before beginning a conversation.

-"So, how was school today?"

Looking up, Nathan gave his standard answer, "Same old, same old. Nothing to report."

Karen glanced around the café, displaying that the café was empty, besides them and Haley.

-"You sure? Because, there aren't any customers and I could use some exciting high school gossip to break up my day." She smiled when she said this.

Even years later, Nathan couldn't have said what caused him to open up. But he did.

-"Well, Peyton and I broke up. It was mostly mutual"

Karen tried to mask her surprise, and sat down next to him. She wanted to ask what happened, but her gut told her that he would open up as much as he needed to. She nodded to show she was listening, and put her hand on his knee, to show her support. Nathan continued.

-"I started the breakup, but she finished it. I didn't think she would end it, but in the end, she didn't think we had any chance for the future….I guess she feels more comfortable talking to other guys."

Once Nathan started, it felt good to get this off his chest. However, he didn't mention Luke, not to Karen. And that was the hardest part for him to deal with. As Nathan trailed off, lost in thought, Karen surprised him.

-"Well, it's about time. I always thought you were too good for her. Let's celebrate the start of something new! How about a round of orange soda ice cream floats for the house?"

Before Nathan could object, Karen invited Haley over. The three of them drank their floats, talking about everything besides Peyton, until customers started trickling in. Karen and Haley had to work twice as hard, to make up for slacking off during the down time, but Nathan didn't know when he had felt better.

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After Haley and Karen went back to work, Nathan contemplated going home. However, the thought was so unappealing that he texted his dad, stating he was at Karen's and asked if they were having dinner there. His dad responded, "Of course."

While customers whirled around him, Nathan decided to start his homework. As he grabbed his math book, the math test he got back fell out. The red F, seemed to scream, "Idiot" at him. He couldn't figure out what he did wrong. Seeing no solution, he just stared the test. In fact, he was staring so intently, that he didn't realize when Haley took her break, sitting directly across from him. He finally looked up when he heard, "I could tutor you if you want."

-"What?"

-"I'm a tutor, at the high school we both go to. I already took Algebra 2, and I can help you. Mr. Zimmerman doesn't always make things clear, but I do." She spoke slowly. It was as if she wanted him to realize his question was ridiculous.

However, Nathan thought she was kidding, so he went along with it.

-"Can you do History, English, and Chemistry too? 'Cause, I suck at all of them."

-"Sure, but we would probably need to meet daily. Can you meet before school?"

That's when Nathan realized Haley was serious.

-"Haley, you can't tutor me. Your Luke's best friend."

Haley's eyes scrunched up, and she tilted her head the right, showing she was confused. Nathan took the hint, and went on to explain,

-"Luke's in too much of my business. He doesn't need to know any more about me."

Haley thought this was stupid. Growing up in a big family, you get used to everyone knowing everything about you. It wasn't a big deal. Part of her wanted to tell him he was stupid, that he was welcome to find another tutor. But she felt a strange desire to help him. Her instincts screamed that if anyone needed her, it was him. So she decided to placate him.

-"Ok. We'll keep it a secret. In fact, let's meet at the dock. 7 am. You and I both know, he won't be out of the house that early."

After glancing at the F on his math test on final time, Nathan agreed.

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It had been a slow day at Keith's shop. Lucas almost wished that they hadn't finished Peyton's car on Saturday, to give him something else to do. Since they were almost caught up on cars, Keith had his nephew doing a fall/spring cleaning. All the jobs that had been put off, because nobody wanted to do them. Luckily, Keith felt sorry for his Lucas and let him out of work an hour earlier than normal.

Lucas decided to head to the River Court and see if his boys were up for a game. On the way to the park, he stopped at the music store first. This may have been influenced by the Comet parked outside.

When he walked in, he saw Peyton with some brown haired girl. He was pretty sure that she was a cheerleader, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of her name. Both girls looked up, as he headed towards them. Smiling, he looked at Peyton.

-"I liked the Fallout Boy's album so much I came to pick it up. What are you looking for?"

As he glanced at Peyton, waiting for her to respond, he noticed that her eyes were read.

-"It's a good one. I'm just pursuing." Peyton couldn't quite meet his eyes.

-"Hey, what's wrong?"

The brown haired girl spoke up, before Peyton could answer. "We're just here for therapy. You know looking for a soundtrack after a breakup. Nathan's your brother, right? Didn't he tell you?"

Lucas didn't know that brown haired girl was fishing for information. She wanted to know what had happened between the brothers, since Lucas was somehow involved in this. However, in a moment it was obvious that Lucas was in the dark by stating:

-"Wait. Peyton, you and Nathan broke up? When? Why?"

The look in Peyton's eyes made it clear she didn't want to get into it. She kept her answer short.

-"We both realized that we want different things so we broke up after school."

Luke didn't know what to say. Obviously, Peyton was upset by this. A part of him, wanted to go and punch Nate, because he had hurt her. However, another part of him felt that she deserved better…well at least different. She didn't seem to fit with the dumb jock persona. Deciding to go with his first reaction, he asked, "Do you need me to go beat up my little brother for being stupid?"

Peyton smiled before stating, "No. It might have even been me that broke up with him."

The brown haired girl looked at Peyton confused, and opened her mouth to ask a question. Then she shut it, obviously realizing this wasn't the time or place. Lucas looked confused, not sure if he should pry into his brother's relationship. After a moment of silence, Peyton opened her mouth to talk.

-"Well…It was real great to see you, but Brooke and I need to…do something."

The comment that she hoped would get her out of the awkward situation, seemed to make it worse. However, Lucas saw this as his chance to fix whatever damage was done, probably by his brother.

-"Well, if you don't have plans, why don't you two come to my mom's diner? Tonight's special is lasagna, and she has the best in town."

Peyton, and the brown haired girl Broke looked at each other hesitantly. Finally, Brooke spoke up.

-"I don't think that going to your mom's café is going to help. I mean, isn't there a good chance Nathan would want to eat his mom's famous lasagna?"

Lucas looked at her confused, before realizing that she thought that he and Nate shared both parents. So, he clarified the situation.

-"No. Nathan's my half-brother. I'm with my mom this week. Nathan is actually grounded so I am positive that he won't make an appearance. Besides, you really don't want to do that moppy girl thing do you? Wouldn't it be more fun to go and eat a dinner on me? Or, if you want to vent, nobody if better equipped to understand stupid Nate moments."

Lucas felt a little like he was selling out his brother. Turning off the voice, he told himself that he was just treating Peyton like he would treat Haley, given the same situation. On that thought, he felt at peace when Peyton, after looking at Brooke, agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

Lucas parked his car in front of his mom's café, deciding to wait for Peyton and Brooke before entering. He had offered to drive them, but they had refused. Hopefully, that didn't mean that they planned on ditching him.

After a few minutes, Peyton pulled up at a frighteningly high speed. Brooke got out of the car and looked at Lucas.

"This lasagna had better be worth it. I swear we almost hit three other cars on the way over!" Although her words were harsh, the smile tugging at her lips displayed playfulness that almost seemed endearing. Peyton got out of the car and then responded,

"You knew how I drive when you got in the car." Then she looked at Lucas and said, "This better be good or I will never hear the end of it from her." She said this last bit as she looked at her friend.

Lucas assured them that it was the best in the state before opening the door to the café, signaling that they should enter before him. Brooke entered first, followed by Peyton who stopped in the doorway, like a deer in the headlights. Curious to what the holdup was Lucas tried to push his way through. That is when he locked eyes with his brother.

The awkwardness of the moment seemed to be felt by everyone in the café. Although most of the café patrons had no idea what was happening, the intense stare down between the brothers was obvious. Finally, Lucas tried to break the tension.

"Hey Nate! Did you break out of jail?"

Nathan just stared at his brother. What was he thinking? Brining his girlfriend, well ex-girlfriend over the day they had broken up. Had something really been going on between his brother and Peyton? Unable to say anything to Luke or Peyton, Nathan put his books in his bag, and walked out. He knew that if he opened his mouth, he would say something that he would regret.

Lucas was left unsure of what to do. He glanced at Peyton who looked disheartened and then Brooke who just shrugged. Slowly his eyes made their way to the counter. Haley looked at him, her eyes full of disappointment. Finally, his mom said, "Lucas, maybe you need to go and clear the air."

Feeling embarrassed and concerned, he gave one last apologetic look at Peyton before taking off to find his brother. Luckily, Nathan wasn't walking very fast, so it didn't take Lucas long to catch up with him. After a jogging he few blocks he yelled to his brother.

-"Nate, wait up."

Nathan stopped and looked and Lucas, before turning around and continuing around. Lucas sped up and grabbed his brother's arm.

"Nathan. Stop and listen to me."

Nathan looked at his brother, unimpressed. Lucas seemed to think that because he was three months older, he had more authority. Nathan disagreed. He showed this by shrugging off his brother's arm and walking away. Lucas tried again to fix the mess he had created.

-"Come on, Nate. Talk to me."

Nathan was quiet for a moment. Deciding that he was tired of Lucas being in control of everything, he figured that they might as well hash out everything here, in the street. He didn't even care who heard their conversation, which was made evident by the increase in his volume. .

-"What do you want from me? First, you try to take my team. Then, you try to take my girl. Do you want to steal my room too? What about my trophy from little league?"

Surprise was replaced with anger as Luke he responded to his little brother.

-"Are you kidding me? Do you really think that everything is about you? Get a life." Lucas was vaguely aware that things were escalating out of control. But, he didn't care. He was tired of basing his life around his brother. When he was younger it felt like Nate had dictated everything. Don't talk about grades, Nate's aren't good. Let's spend half the trip to Disneyland on the train in the parking lot because he can't handle the rides. It was time for a change.

Nathan responded in a like manner, "I have a life. A life that you seem to want. You are nothing more than a thief. But go ahead and try to take it. You won't be able to handle it."

With that Nathan stormed off. Lucas stared at him for a minute before returning to the café. When he got there, he wasn't surprised to see that the girls had left.

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Lucas entered his room and threw himself on his bed. He wanted the day to be over. He was emotionally exhausted, but physically charged. Longingly, he looked at the door in his room that his dad had boarded up, wishing he could sneak out to the River Court.

When he was little, hid dad was the fun parent. At first he just spent weekends with his dad. He would go over there, eat ice cream, watch a movie on the TV in his room, and stay up a half an hour past his normal bedtime. However, he made the mistake of telling him mom about all the "fun" things that happened at dad's house. Karen had stormed over, on more than one occasion, to remind Dan of their co-parenting agreement. Basically, that they had to agree on rules.

By the time Lucas learned that he should keep his mouth shut, it was too late. Dan and Deb's rules started to copy Karen's rules. And then, Dan started changing Karen's. When Dan realized that Lucas' room had a door to the outdoors he convinced Karen that this could only lead to trouble. This resulted in Dan spending a Saturday morning boarding up the escape, that he had yet to utilize.

Lost in thoughts, he did realize that his mom had entered the doorway from the hallway, until he heard Karen state,

-"Knock, Knock."

Looking up, Lucas smiled at his mom.

-"Hey mom, what's up?'

Karen looked at Lucas for a moment before sitting on the bed, next to her son.

-"Lucas, I think we need to talk about what's happening between you and Nathan."

Lucas looked up, surprised at the turn this conversation was taking.

-"There's nothing to talking about."

Karen looked at her son, choosing her words very carefully. In a calm tone, she continued.

-"Lucas, everyone in the café could tell something was going on. So why don't you tell me what it was?"

Lucas opened his mouth, and then closed it. Karen's volume increased with her frustration.

-"Lucas. You invited your brother's ex-girlfriend out the day they broke up. Did you know that they broke up before you brought her over?"

Finally, Lucas found the words to answer. "Yes. And she had been crying mom. She needed support. I didn't know that Nathan was going to be at the café though. He was supposed to be grounded. I just thought she needed to be cheered up. Somebody needs to clean up his messes."

-"Lucas, your brother was heartbroken. It is great for you to want to be Peyton's friend, but at some point family has to come first."

-"Yeah, but does family come before decency?" It wasn't a question. It was a statement of Lucas' position.

Karen realized that after making her point, there wasn't much else to say. As she got up to leave her room, she looked at Lucas in eye before stating,

-"Lucas, you have to listen to your heart. Just don't ruin your relationship with your brother, for something that won't matter in five years."

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Beep. .

Nathan couldn't figure out why his alarm was going off so early. Then, he remembered that he was supposed to meet Haley at the docs at 7. What was he thinking?

Slowly, he dragged himself out of bed, and hoped in the shower. After getting out, he threw on some close and headed downstairs for breakfast. Then he rummaged through the kitchen cupboards hoping to find anything that resembled breakfast. This is when his dad walked in.

-"Am I in the right house? What are you doing up so early?"

Nathan looked up at his dad, smiling upon finding the box of cracker jacks.

-"I have a school project I have to work on. Actually, I am running late, but I'll see you tonight. Also, you probably need to go shopping. I think we are out of everything."

Dan starred at his son in shock. Nathan was not the child he expected to see working a school project at the crack of dawn. He was instantly suspicious.

-" Who are you meeting and where?" His voice was stern, but not overbearing.

-"I'm meeting Haley, you know the girl that works at Karen's. We have some school project that we have to do and the only time we could meet was seven. It may take a few weeks. We are meeting up at the docks, since the school isn't open until 7:30."

Dan figured that Nathan had to be telling the truth. If he wasn't, he would have made up a study buddy that was harder to ask about his whereabouts. He handed Nathan a five dollar bill, telling him to get some "real" breakfast and promised to go shopping before he returned.

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Nathan got to the dock at 7:05. He could tell by Haley's look as he approached, that she was not impressed with his lack of promptness. Deciding to be proactive at calming her down, he started apologizing as walked to her.

-"Haley, I am so sorry I am late. To fix it, I come bearing gifts. I brought you the breakfast of champions, cracker jacks."

Haley stared at the box of cracker jacks, disbelieving. Noticing her doubt, Nathan spoke up before she could.

-"Really, it's great. In fact, I will eat the first bite to show you how wonderful it really is."

Haley smiled as she watched him pour some of the concoction into his mouth. She laughed out loud when a little red and while package fell into his mouth.

As she laughed she said, "I can see why you like it so much."

Not answering, Nathan decided to open the package, praying for a cheat sheet. Instead, a beaded bracelet was displayed. Deciding that he had no use for the jewelry, he put the bracelet on Haley stating, "Don't say I never gave you anything."

Haley felt her heart start to race. She had known Nathan, superficially, for years and had never noticed his charm or humor. Was he playing her? Did he magically grow up over night? Not wanting to deal with the implications of her thoughts, she turned to him.

-"Do you see this book? This is me. I am math."

Nathan looked at her confused.

-"What?"

She was going to go on and explain that she didn't care that he thought he was a big deal, but stopped herself. He hadn't done anything wrong, and her gut told her she needed to help the youngest Scott. Changing her tune, she turned to him.

-"Thank you for the bracelet. It is sweet. I just don't want us to get too distracted from why we are here. Let's just focus on your school work. I think we should start by reviewing the test. Did you bring it?"

Nathan took out the papers that made him feel like a failure, and the conversation quickly turned to numbers and letters.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: A big thank you to everyone that reviewed. You made my day! Please keep letting me know what you think.

-"Nathan, you've gotten the last 20 in a row right! I think you are going to rock the history quiz today!" Haley's excitement was contagious, causing Nathan to form a small, yet sincere, smile.

This was their fifth day of tutoring and Haley was causing Nathan to enjoy school…well tolerate it with less hate. Nathan wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about her kind encouragement, mixed with her sense of humor, that made him want to wake up for seven am tutoring.

Haley looked down at her watch before surprising both Nathan and herself with an invitation. "You know what; I think that you deserve a pre-quiz celebration. Can I treat you to coffee?"

Nathan surprised by the offer agreed, but on one occasion. "Ok, but I have to treat YOU. After all YOU are saving my butt."

Haley agreed and they started off toward the nearest coffee stand. After Nathan gave their orders, he looked at Haley, deciding if he should ask a personal question.

-"Haley, can I ask you a question?"

Haley curiously looked up at Nathan, before slowly responding, "Yeeees?"

"It's kind of personal, are you sure?"

Haley looked a little alarmed, but nodded her head. Taking a breath, Nathan continued.

"I've been wondering about this all morning. What's up with your poncho? If you're cold at the docks, you can always wear my jacket."

Haley stared at Nathan, causing him to regret asking the question. And then, she started laughing, hard. After a moment, tears were rolling down her face. Nathan started to think that maybe she wasn't laughing, that she was actually bawling. While trying to think of words to calm her down, Haley spit out an answer, kind of.

-"You call that a personal question? Asking if I am cold? Maybe we need to focus more on English."

Before Nathan could respond, the barista called his name. Grateful, for the excuse to walk away, he went to grab their coffees. By the time he got back to Haley, new tears weren't rolling down her face. Realizing, she had made the situation extremely awkward, she started explaining before he even handed her, her drink.

-"I'm sorry, that was really rude of me. I expected…I don't know what I expected. But since you have drawn attention to my poncho, all I can do is declare my love for it. You're just like your brother. Actually, you are just like my brother. Always hinting that I will never have a boyfriend if I wear my own clothes."

With the last sentence, the mood changed drastically. Nathan was impressed at how fast giggles could change to hidden heart break. As Nathan tried to think of something to say, Haley tried to get over her embarrassment in actually providing personal information. She had never even told Lucas, about the offhand comments her siblings made about her dating life, implying that this is why she spent so much time on school.

After a brief moment, Nathan told Haley a small white lie.

-"Actually, I really like your poncho. I was actually trying to lay the ground work to ask you if you were cold enough to need a ride to school. Would you let me do that?"

Haley stared at Nathan in shock, before nodding. He walked her to his car, opening the passage door.

-"I think we should make a tradition of this. You tutor me; I get to drive you to school."

Realizing that something untangle had changed, Haley agreed.

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Lucas couldn't decide if Friday morning had come to slow or fast. Part of him couldn't believe that it had only been four days since his fight with Nathan. The other part of him couldn't believe that four days had passed. Although Nathan and Lucas weren't bosom buddies, they typically shared at least a few words every day. However, the pair had not spoken since the fight on Monday despite sharing a homeroom, two classes, and having lockers next to each other. Lucas figured this would change shortly, since he was spending the next week at his dad's.

As he took his seat in homeroom, he glanced at Peyton, who sat in the desk next to his. Their brief friendship had become a little strained since her breakup with Nathan, but it had survived better than the brother's relationship.

Peyton gave Lucas a small smile before asking, "You ready for try-outs today?"

Grinning, Lucas responded, "As ready as I'll ever be. You ready to start cheering at all the games?"

Peyton was about to respond, when Nathan walked in, five seconds before the tardy bell rang. His entrance stopped conversation in his tracks. Despite Lucas' frustration as the situation, he noticed the smile that Nathan wore as he walked in. Lucas also noticed that Nathan's happiness seemed to dissipate when he saw Peyton and Lucas talking.

As the homeroom teacher went over the daily announcements, Lucas felt his thoughts drift to the upcoming tryouts. He wasn't nervous, at least for the typical reasons. Coach Whitey Durham ran very straight forward tryouts. While most coaches made tryouts last for a week, Whitey believed that he could learn everything he needed in a day. From what Lucas understood, they would start with drills, and end by playing the game. Different potential team members would rotate in and out of circulation, so Whitey could get a feel for the team chemistry.

Lucas was confident that he had the skills to make the team. Through eighth grade, his dad had pushed both of his sons to expel at the sport. Although his mom repeatedly told Dan to back off, Dan did insist on his sons understanding the basic. He argued that it taught them life skills.

What he was more concerned about, was what being on the team would do to his relationship with his brother. He knew that he was starting something that might have far reaching consequences, but he couldn't quite make himself care. There was something about basketball that made it worth the risk. He could feel that somehow being on the team would change his life.

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The advantages of trying out for a team, while trying to show up your brother can be impressive, if both players bring a good amount of skill to the game. However, Lucas did not only bring his skills, but his friend Skills to the tryouts. At the last minute he has convinced his good friend to try out for the Ravens with him.

Between the confidence that his friend Skills brought and the competitive spirit that Nathan brought with him, Lucas had the tryout of a lifetime. He couldn't seem to miss his shots. Skills and Nathan had equally impressive evenings. In fact, Whitey would later comment that up until that moment, he hadn't fully realized Nathan's potential, despite coaching him for two years, previously. In fact, by the end of tryouts, Whitey was starting to hope for a state championship for the first time in almost 16 years.

Lucas was surprised by how natural it felt to play in an actual gym, with players who treated basketball as more than a hobby. As he left the gym, Whitey basically told him and Skills that they made the team. To celebrate, they were going to get milkshakes at Karen's followed by meeting the guys at the River Court. In an attempt to smooth things over, Lucas invited Nathan along as they were changing into their street clothes.

Nathan stated that he was going to get dinner with some guys for the team, before quickly closing his locker and walking away. After he got out of the school, he called Tim and asked him if he wanted to go out for pizza. Tim readily agreed. Nathan quickly texted his dad, stating that he wouldn't be around for dinner and then drove to the pizza place.

After Nathan's abrupt departure, Skills looked at Lucas and then shrugged before saying, "Dawg, I don't know what you need to do to fix that, but I can feel the chill from you two clear over hear."

-"Hopefully, things will calm down this weekend."

Unfortunately, things did not calm down over the weekend. By Monday morning, Dan could not handle another day full of broody silence and whispered barbs between his boys. Dan had tried to talk to Nathan, but didn't accomplish any more than getting Nathan to stop calling Lucas, Pucas. As a last ditch effort, he decided to talk to Lucas before school, after Nathan had left to work on his "project."

-"Lucas, sit we need to talk."

Lucas groaned inwardly before sitting down next to his dad.

-"What did I do?"

If Dan wasn't at his wits end, he would have chuckled at this comment. But today, he didn't have the patience for it.

-"Lucas, what's going on between you and Nathan?"

-"Nothing. Nathan has just been in a crappy mood since he and Peyton broke up. His crappy mood just seems to spread to everybody. You probably should talk to him about improving it."

Dan could feel himself losing patience. He took a breath and then replied to Lucas.

-"And you don't think that hanging around his ex-girlfriend is affecting him. Yes. Your mom did tell me about you showing up the café with Peyton."

Lucas opened his mouth before thinking. Typically, he was the calm son. He took what his mom or dad said to heart, not causing problems. However, after a weekend that further deteriorated his relationship with his brother, his rational side seemed to waning. As he responded to his father, his volume started to increase.

-"As a friend. After NATHAN broke up with HER. I was being the nice one. And I wasn't just with her. Brooke was there too. Plus, it was a week ago. It's not my fault he can't get over things. Really dad, you need to be having his conversation with him. He's the one that's being the baby."

-"Lucas, I have had it with the two of you. Your attitude, it ends NOW. I've already told Nathan this, but if either you keep up this attitude, privileges will be lost. Do you understand me?"

Dan looked at Lucas intently. Lucas didn't respond for a moment resulting in Dan speaking once more.

-"Lucas Eugene, I want an answer."

-"I understand. I'll ignore his childish jibes and be the older brother." Lucas knew his answer was inappropriate, but he didn't care. Luckily for him, Dan was too tired to deal with anything else this morning and responded with a simple, "Good."

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

Nathan met Haley at 6:55 for tutoring. He had never been one to show up early, but he decided that tutoring was worth it. After thirty minutes of discussing Algebra, Haley declared that Nathan was continuing to improve and that they could take a break. Just then, her phone rang. After glancing at the caller id, she smiled apologetically at Nathan, stating that she had to take it.

-"Luke…..No, I still don't need a ride….No, really…I know…..How about tonight?...See you at school…."

After the phone call, Haley looked up at Nathan.

-"So that was your brother, obviously. Can you tell me again why this tutoring has to be a secret?"

Nathan looked up cautiously before responding.

-"We just need some space. I don't want him knowing everything about me."

A week ago, Haley didn't feel like she could call Nathan on this lame excuse, but today she did.

-"Nathan, I have six siblings. That's what siblings do. They know stuff about you."

-"Yeah, but did you have a sibling in the same grade."

Haley saw his point and agreed. "Point taken. So has it always been this way between you two? I mean when we were kids I felt like you were all Lucas would talk about."

Nathan stared at her. She seemed so sincere yet non-judgmental that it made him want to continue on.

-"Yeah, when we were kids, it was different. I remember this one time, when we were six or seven, Lucas and I played for the blue team, and some jerk on the red team said I threw like a girl. Next time he was on base, Lucas totally nailed him in the head with the ball. After Lucas hit the kid, he smirked and said, 'Sorry, I guess we all throw likes girls in my family.'" Nathan smiled as he told the story.

Haley laughed as she said, "I can almost picture a little Lucas doing that. What did Karen say?"

A huge grin came over Nathan's face as he continued with the story.

-"That is actually the best part. My dad was coaching and Karen and my mom were in the stands. Dad started screaming at Lucas before Karen could start, and Lucas realized he was in for it. As my dad was telling Lucas to get his butt on the bench, he screamed 'I'm mom's until noon. You can't do anything to me.' That put my dad over the edge. He started after Lucas, and Lucas took off for the nearest tree. Then he started climbing."

At this part of the story, Nathan started to laugh uncontrollably. He tried to calm himself in order to finish the story.

"It didn't take long before my dad, mom, and Karen were all under the tree. Karen and my dad were yelling out threats while my mom was trying to bribe Lucas with ice cream. My mom didn't deal well with confrontation. After a minute, she told my dad that Lucas needed time and that our team needed a coach. I think she thought he would leave and she could bribe Lucas without threats. But he sent Deb to coach and he stayed. The game didn't continue though, since we were all watching Lucas. After about five minutes, my dad had had enough and decided climb up after Lucas, but the branch broke. Lucas thought he killed my dad and climbed down crying about how sorry he was. He should have waited a moment though, because my dad was up in thirty seconds, with Lucas under his arm. He carried Lucas all the way to my house like that. I'm pretty sure Karen ran behind but by the time I got home, it was just dad and Lucas there."

Haley was laughing along with Nathan, but sobered up as Nathan continued.

-"Back then, I felt like Lucas always had my back, but now…"

Haley paused before answering. Lucas was her best friend, but she could feel for Nathan. She knew that it must be hard to see Peyton and Lucas talk all the time. She could even see where having Lucas on the team would feel like a threat. So after a moment she responded.

-"I think that is how high school is. My sister Taylor and I had so much fun when we were little. But she made my freshmen year pretty rough. I guess the thing about family is, you're stuck."

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOT HOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

English was Nathan's last class of the day and he couldn't wait to expend some energy at basketball practice. As he sat behind Lucas in his normal seat, he saw Lucas pass Peyton a note. Ignoring the urge to punch his brother, he tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. He heard something about Hemmingway, before he heard his name.

-"I'm sorry, could you ask that again?"

The teacher looked slightly irritated before repeating the question.

-"Nathan, could you give me one word to describe Lucas?"

Nathan didn't even think before responding, "Thief"

After the class let out a round of "ooos" it was Lucas's turn to describe Nathan. Unlike Nathan, Lucas paused for a moment. His frustration over Nathan's attitude and the lecture that he received that morning resulted in the answer,

"Stupid."

With one word, Nathan felt everything come crashing down on him. Without thinking, he was out of his seat and tackled his brother. A second later, punches from both brothers were being thrown.


End file.
